Display form



Oct. 13, 1936. s ALLAN 2,057,079

DISPLAY FORM Filed Sept. 20, 1954 INVENTOI ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 13, 1936 UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to display forms and more particularly to those of the character employed in displaying coats, shirts, and similar garments, and has for its principal object to 5 provide a form of simple, inexpensive construction, which can be readily fitted to a garment without use of padding.

In accomplishing this and other objects'of the invention, as hercinafter pointed out, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a display form embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the form showing the back section thereof in disassembled spaced relation from the front section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the center of the form.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the form on the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail section through the shoulder portion of the form particularly illustrating the hinge connection between the front and back sections.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:

l designates a display form including front and back body sections 2 and 3 preferably formed of paper board or other light material molded or 30 pressed to a shape simulating a human torso and having sufficient wall thickness to be self-supporting.

The front section preferably includes an integral neck portion 4 extending upwardly from shoulder portions 5 and 6. The neck portion 4 is shaped to simulate the neck of a person and has the rear half 1 offset outwardly from the plane of the side edges 8 and 9 of the section. The side edgs 8 and 9 extend downwardly under 40 the arm portions and II to cooperate with the corresponding edges I2 and I3 of the back section 3. The shoulder portions l4 and I of the back section register with the corresponding portions 5 and 6 of the front section at opposite 5 sides of a back neck portion l6 which registers with the outset part I of the neck portion 4 of the front section. The lower parts I? and I8 of the front and back sections terminate in a horizontal plane corresponding to a plane extending through the hips of a torso and the front section is provided with a central notch I9 through which the adjustments are made to the form, as later described.

Fixed within each section at approximately the waist line thereof are horizontally positioned stiffening members 2| and 22 respectively having aligning edge faces 23 and 24 located so that the face 23 is inset from the plane of the side edges l2 and i3 and face 24 is outset from the side edges I 2.l3 of the form sections in order that the extended part of the member 2! forms a guide slidably engaged with the side edges of the rear form sections.

The front section of the display form is preferably supported for vertical adjustment on a pedestal 25 including a base 26 having an upwardly extending post 27 terminating in a reduced extension 28 forming a stop shoulder 29 at the upper end of the post.

The reduced extension projects through a bearing opening 39 in the front stiffening member 2! and carries a stop collar 3|. The stop collar 3! is adjustably fixed on the extension and in engagement with the under face of the stiffening member by means of a thumb screw 32 that is threaded through the collar and engages the post extension. It is thus apparent that the form may be adjusted for height relatively to the base of the pedestal by loosening the set screw and sliding the collar along the post extension until the form is at the desired height when the set screw is again retightened. Downward movement of the form is, however, limited by the stop shoulder 29 when the collar 3| engages therewith to prevent the bottom of the form sections from striking the floor or other support on which the pedestal is resting.

The back section is suspendingly hinged from the shoulder and neck portions of the front sections by flexible shoulder straps 33 having their ends 34 and 35 fixed to the adjacent shoulder portions 5l4 and 6I5 of the sections and by a flexible neck strap 36 having its ends 3! and 38 fixed respectively to the projecting parts 1 of the neck portion 4 of the front section and to the underlying neck portion I 6 of the back section. It is thus obvious that the neck strap 36, while allowing hinging movement of the back section retains the edges of the shoulder portions of the sections in registry with each other.

In the display form thus far described, the shoulder and neck portions will fill out and adequately support the neck and shoulder portions of a garment displayed thereon, but it happens that the lower portions of the garment rarely fit the form. I, therefore, provide means for expanding or spreading the bottom part of the sections away from each other, while the shoulder straps act as hinges.

In accomplishing this adjustment, the faces 23 ably mounted in openings 48 in the other pair of cars whereby the pins cooperate with the neck strap 36 in supporting the sections in horizontal registry with each other.

In order to spread the sections apart, I provide a screw shaft 49 having one end threaded in one of the brackets 42 and carrying a knurled head '50 on its other end which is provided with a sleeve portion 5| rotatably anchored in the other bracket 4| so that when the head is rotated inone direction, the shaft is threaded into the bracket 42 to draw the sections together, and when it is rotated in the opposite direction, the shaft is threaded therefrom to spread the lower ends of the form sections, the stiffening members being provided with sockets 52 and 53 to accommodate the ends of the shaft.

In order to slightly fill out the sleeve openings at the shoulder portions of a garment, the form section is provided with disks 54 and 55 having convex outer faces 56 adapted to extend within the sleeves and flat inner faces to engage the arm portions of the other section. In the illustrated instance, the disks are shown attached to the front form section so that substantially half of their diameters project from the side edges 8 and 9 to overlap the corresponding edges 12 and'l3 of the rear section.

In using a form constructed and assembled as described, the garment to be displayed, for example, a coat, is applied thereon with the form sections in collapsedcondition. The screw shaft 49 is then operated by extending the hand through the notch I9 and manipulating the knurled head portion and an unbroken collar portion projecting rearwardly therefrom, the rear of the collar portion fitting in said recess at the upper edge of the rear section to cooperate therewith without interfering with the hinged connection between said sections, and means for adjustably connecting the sections to expand and contract the same relative 'to each other for garment fitting purposes.

2. A display form simulating a torso divided longitudinally at the sides and top to form singlevpiece front and rear sections hinged together at the top at opposite sides to permit relative swinging movement of the sections toward and from each other, the rear section having a recess in the upper edge and the front section being provided at the top with an integral unbroken cylindrical neck merging into and forming a continuation of the front section and having its rear portion extended rearwardly beyond the front section and fitting the recess at the upper edge' of the rear section, means for adjustably connecting the sections to expand and contract the display form and distend a garment placed thereon, said form engaging the garment interiorly at the top and bottom thereof whereby :the garment is caused to assume by a single adjustment of the sections its predetermined style or pattern without the necessity of padding the :form to fill out the garment, and supporting means for the form connected therewith solely at the waistline thereof thereby leaving the interior of the form above the waistline unobstructed.

3. A display form simulating a torsodivided longitudinally at thesides and top to form front and rear sections hinged together at the top to permit relative swinging movement of the sections toward and from each other, one of the sections having a recess in the upper edge and the other section provided at the top with 'an' integral unbroken substantially cylindrical neck merging into and forming a continuation of said section and having a portion projecting beyond.

garment that is placed on said form whereby the garment is caused to assume by a single adjustment'of the sections its predetermined'sty-le or shape.

' STEPHEN G. ALLAN. 

